By Rick Banas of BMA Management, Ltd.
As Melanie Daniels, says, if you ever met Bridget Rumler, you will never forget her. It is easy to sense the genuine caring, the empathy, and the desire to improve the situations of all those she encounters.
Pictured above – Jo Ellen Bleavins | BMA Management, Ltd.
Bridget Rumler | John M Evans SLC 2014 Shining Star
Rod Burkett | BMA Management, Ltd. (left to right)
Melanie is the Administrator of John M Evans Supportive Living, the affordable assisted living community that BMA manages in Pekin, Illinois. Bridget serves as the community’s Director of Marketing. Both Bridget and Melanie have been in their positions at John Evans since before the community opened for occupancy seven years ago.
Last Friday, Bridget was honored with BMA’s 2014 First Place Shining Star Award.
Our Shining Star program is designed to shine a spotlight on employees at our senior living, assisted living and memory care communities who exemplify our values of providing love, compassion and dignity and who through their work each day enhance the quality of life for residents.
Bridget is an outstanding example.
As Melanie notes, she is usually the life of the meetings – the ‘class clown’ who is always ready with a funny story. We all know what a great salesperson she is and of her desire to help enrich the lives of Senior Citizens in need by moving them into our community. But there is another side of her that people don’t always experience the way I do. I have sat in close proximity to her for many years and am privy to many of her phone conversations and family meetings, and she never ceases to inspire me with her concern for her fellow man.
We get many calls each week, and unfortunately there are times when we cannot meet the needs of the caller. They may, for instance, be under the age of 65 or at a skill level too acute for us to manage. Bridget still takes the time with each person to understand their situation and be a resource for them. “Tell me what’s going on with your loved one”, she will ask.
As a long time Marketer in our area, she has many contacts from all areas of the health care field, and she makes every effort to connect those in need with the right provider. It’s not always about the sale; the setting that ensures the highest quality of life and dignity for each individual is paramount for her.
Many of the callers are in desperate situations and don’t know where to turn when they have siblings, mothers or fathers that are under the age of 65 but in serious need of help. They do not finish a call without a sense of hope. She often calls other facilities and puts them in touch with the families. Many times she has given them her personal phone number and tells them “call me and let me know how things work out.”
She has kept a list of names and numbers for many years with the hopes that more affordable assisted living communities for individuals under the age of 65 will be built. She was so excited to be able to refer people to Deer Path of Huntley when it opened. The community that we manage serves adults 22 to 64 years of age with physical disabilities.
As she explains it, “isn’t it worth it to drive a few hours to know your loved one is in a beautiful facility receiving quality care?” She often works tirelessly on her own time with many people that she knows may never live with us.
She is the same way with the residents of our building. When it is time for someone to move to a higher level of care, she works tirelessly to find the best solution for them. She helps the family coordinate movers if they need them, helps them pack belongings, arranges storage, delivers treasured personal items to their new homes. She assures the families that she will continue to visit- “once they are a part of our family, they always will be, no matter where they are”. This is so reassuring to families facing the fear of the “dreaded nursing home”. She often takes them their favorite treats after they are settled – candy or maybe a chocolate shake from the Dairy Queen.
She is an inspiration to our staff, reminding them that this could be the last home for many of our residents, and we need to make it a wonderful experience for them and their families. She is interested and concerned about the staff and their lives as well and always willing to lend a helping hand when she can. She has never met a stranger. I often here the woes of the gas station attendant or the store clerk she encounters in her travels, because she wants to help them out in any way she can – always the mother hen “We have many contacts and resources available to us, and others are not so fortunate.”
These are the qualities that make her a Shining Star- the passion, the caring attitude , the empathy, the desire to improve the situations of all those she encounters – the rich, the poor, the under dogs, the neglected of our society. This is why our building is always full – it is easy to sense the genuine caring. There is no sense of phoniness. It’s not just about the sale, it’s about the People!
All affordable assisted living communities managed by BMA Management, Ltd. are certified and surveyed by the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services. All assisted living communities are licensed and surveyed by the Illinois Department of Public Health.
“BMA Management, Ltd. is the leading provider of assisted living in Illinois
and one of the 20 largest providers of assisted living in the United States.”
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